Importing from the UK - definitive guide (Q&A)

zweton

the exchange rate is a killer at the moment i think.

D Hayes

I've purchased a used UK reg'd car. I have it here in Ireland. It's booked in for the VRT check on Wednesday. If I got the insurance changed over today, am I able to drive it before Wednesday? There's no motor tax on it, but hoping to get that done Wednesday too once I have the new plates.

The_Shotz

Hi everyone,

After reading the very helpful post about the ultimate guide to importing in this forum, I am now considering buying a car in UK.

Can anyone recommend a good car transport company which acts as a third party for an import? I.E I pay the transporter who holds the money and if I am satisfied with the delivery the seller is paid and if not I am refunded?

I was currently told to use http://www.uk-shippers-limited.co.uk/ as recommended by the seller. I am a bit suspicious all the same as the website has a contact page but no phone number and the head office appears to be a house.

Any help or experience of this would be great.

bazz26

D Hayes wrote: »

I've purchased a used UK reg'd car. I have it here in Ireland. It's booked in for the VRT check on Wednesday. If I got the insurance changed over today, am I able to drive it before Wednesday? There's no motor tax on it, but hoping to get that done Wednesday too once I have the new plates.

Yes you can, your insurance company can insure it via the UK reg temporarily until you get Irish plates. However they are obliged to inform Revenue if you don't notify them of the change over to Irish plates after 30 days.

ZV Yoda

I'm close to doing a deal on a UK car. HPI checks out & I've organised an AA "comprehensive check". Assuming all is OK, I plan to put a few hundred pounds deposit once AA give me the all clear, then head over next week to collect.

I'm buying privately (couldn't find the spec I wanted at any dealer). What's the best way to organise deposit & payment?

Kace

ZV Yoda wrote: »

I'm close to doing a deal on a UK car. HPI checks out & I've organised an AA "comprehensive check". Assuming all is OK, I plan to put a few hundred pounds deposit once AA give me the all clear, then head over next week to collect.

I'm buying privately (couldn't find the spec I wanted at any dealer). What's the best way to organise deposit & payment?

Either a wad of cash in hand, or Transfermate if the sum is substantial and you don't want to be carrying around a large cash sum.

ZV Yoda

Kace wrote: »

Either a wad of cash in hand, or Transfermate if the sum is substantial and you don't want to be carrying around a large cash sum.

I'm not keen on carrying cash for a private sale. I'll look into transfermate.

dashoonage

Hi all

I may have missed this in the 271 pages of the thread and the OP hasnt been updated since 2004

Am i correct to assume it is still as follows

Cost of car in sterling
VRT
Sundries ( ferries, inspection etc)

No other hidden costs on a 4 year old car above 6000km ?

Zith

dashoonage wrote: »

Hi all

I may have missed this in the 271 pages of the thread and the OP hasnt been updated since 2004

Am i correct to assume it is still as follows

Cost of car in sterling
VRT
Sundries ( ferries, inspection etc)

No other hidden costs on a 4 year old car above 6000km ?

Then motor tax and NCT.

dashoonage

Zith wrote: »

Then motor tax and NCT.

Thanks. Had them in my head as well.

Zith

dashoonage wrote: »

Thanks. Had them in my head as well.

No bother I know the first time I imported it was daunting just the sheer number of interdependent steps to get the thing sorted properly. Always worried you will forget something and end up losing a fortune.

Imported two more since and still have to triple check everything along the way!

Pete123456

Anybody know how much in advance you would have to book an rac inspection?

savagethegoat

ask the RAC?

Fiskar

Whats the crack in a situation where you want a particular model (in my case a 2.0l petrol CX3 GT) but Mazda Ireland only stock it in diesel 1.5.

It is a cracking car but only available in the UK as a 150bhp petrol which is what i want.

Is it possible to get it without vat and pay the full vat down here or is it totally off the wall.

UK price 23K GBP

LINE45

Hi am just on the verge of buying a UK import 2010 Toyota Auris 1.4 D-4D TR. I will be buying it from a garage and is costing €12500. There is 44000 miles on the clock. Is there anything I should be asking the garage before I buy and do you think it would be an ok family car. 2 adults 2 kids 9 and 12.

savagethegoat

LINE45 wrote: »

Hi am just on the verge of buying a UK import 2010 Toyota Auris 1.4 D-4D TR. I will be buying it from a garage and is costing €12500. There is 44000 miles on the clock. Is there anything I should be asking the garage before I buy and do you think it would be an ok family car. 2 adults 2 kids 9 and 12.

get the UK reg number and do a check online for MoT history especially mileage.

DOC2015

Trying to decide whether to use a local dealer who brings in Audis or do it myself. Checked revenue vrt calculator and the OSMP is way off for the car I want.

Which would people recommend to do? Seems like a lot of hassle to source and check out car myself. Would I actually save a lot more if I did it all myself?

In light of the recent vw scandal, should these cars be dropping in price? or is it not affecting used prices??

Any advice greatly appreciated

Thanks!

greendom

Looking to buy a car that has already been brought into Ireland. The seller is private and has not yet registered the car.

Will I have any problems with this when I go to VRT the car?

The seller has said that he will provide me with a receipt with the date I bought it from him

mgn

You will need an invoice containing the purchase price and date of sale in the uk,You also need shipping details to confirm when the car was brought into the country,any more than 30 days you will be charged on top of vrt.
You will need to fill in VRTVPD2 form
The V5C (uk registration cert)
Your own proof of address utility bill ect
Your pps no and and proof of identity
If you have all of the above it a simple process

greendom

mgn wrote: »

You will need an invoice containing the purchase price and date of sale in the uk,You also need shipping details to confirm when the car was brought into the country,any more than 30 days you will be charged on top of vrt.
You will need to fill in VRTVPD2 form
The V5C (uk registration cert)
Your own proof of address utility bill ect
Your pps no and and proof of identity
If you have all of the above it a simple process

Thanks for the reply. If the car has been in Ireland for more than 30 days how much more would need to be paid?

mgn

I don't know how the calculate it,hard to get a straight answer anywhere
All i know is the charged me an extra €47 for a few days over 30 days and that was there fault because the couldn't find it on there computer

positivenote

as posted in a seperate thread ive been looking at this e38 2.8i sport for over a week now and I keep coming back to it. Appreciate that its a private seller and that the stickies recomend to 'never buy from a private seller', but ive been in touch with the seller through email and hes given me a deatialed history of the car... which all seems legit. Here are the details he's sent me ...
"I service it every year (oil change and tune up) in the spring and have it checked over prior to winter. I've replaced the rear suspension (that was a big job) in 2013 and the front suspension this year (including shocks, springs, bushes etc). All the discs have been changed in the last two years. The fuel tank was replaced prior to my buying it (to address a known issue regards rusting tanks on the 2000 models) and I replaced the radiator last year.

Other than that, nothing major. No work on the clutch or gearbox but no work required. I changed the gearbox oil this year. I use a local garage and whilst not an authorised dealer they are a very reputable, locally owned company and my father-in-law has been using them for 40yrs so I trust them completely. It wasn't worth paying for a BMW service given the age/miles of the car.

All the work I've done is fully documented and with the same garage.

There have been no accidents with it since I've owned it and I'm not aware (or found evidence of) any other accidents.

Regards extras, yep, got the Motorola phone and it's fully functioning however that said, I've never registered a sim with it to use it. I think you need to be with Vodafone. No heated seats I'm afraid. Electric seats and mirrors with auto-tilting mirrors for parking."

Im looking for advice on what people reckon my next step should be? heres a link to the ad:
http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201510137762221?onesearchad=used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew&maximum-age=over_10_years_old&search-target=usedcars&sort=atcustomh2l&postcode=bt39jp&page=1&model=7_series&engine-size-cars=2-6l_to_2-9l&radius=1500&make=bmw&logcode=p
thanks a million

Kotek Besar

positivenote wrote: »

as posted in a seperate thread ive been looking at this e38 2.8i sport for over a week now and I keep coming back to it. Appreciate that its a private seller and that the stickies recomend to 'never buy from a private seller', but ive been in touch with the seller through email and hes given me a deatialed history of the car... which all seems legit. Here are the details he's sent me ...
"I service it every year (oil change and tune up) in the spring and have it checked over prior to winter. I've replaced the rear suspension (that was a big job) in 2013 and the front suspension this year (including shocks, springs, bushes etc). All the discs have been changed in the last two years. The fuel tank was replaced prior to my buying it (to address a known issue regards rusting tanks on the 2000 models) and I replaced the radiator last year.

Other than that, nothing major. No work on the clutch or gearbox but no work required. I changed the gearbox oil this year. I use a local garage and whilst not an authorised dealer they are a very reputable, locally owned company and my father-in-law has been using them for 40yrs so I trust them completely. It wasn't worth paying for a BMW service given the age/miles of the car.

All the work I've done is fully documented and with the same garage.

There have been no accidents with it since I've owned it and I'm not aware (or found evidence of) any other accidents.

Regards extras, yep, got the Motorola phone and it's fully functioning however that said, I've never registered a sim with it to use it. I think you need to be with Vodafone. No heated seats I'm afraid. Electric seats and mirrors with auto-tilting mirrors for parking."

Im looking for advice on what people reckon my next step should be? heres a link to the ad:
http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201510137762221?onesearchad=used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew&maximum-age=over_10_years_old&search-target=usedcars&sort=atcustomh2l&postcode=bt39jp&page=1&model=7_series&engine-size-cars=2-6l_to_2-9l&radius=1500&make=bmw&logcode=p
thanks a million

Link doesn't work. Anyway, my advice is to get it AA / RAC inspected and, as well as an HPI check, that should be all you need. People buy and sell cars privately all the time in the UK. The vast majority of sales are genuine!

benny79

Hi lads,
I am looking to buy a BMW 3 series 2011 in the UK. This is kinda a big deal as I never done anything like this before, But I find they have a better selection in the UK with higher spec but most important to me anyway is the mileage is much lower on most the UK models.
So just looking for any advise?

How do you go about getting the car checked out by AA/RAC?

There all retailing around £9000-£10,000 Is it worth it?

What's the best website to Check cars on in the UK?

Is doing the VRT hard? On donedeal its saying vrt around €3000.

Is there anything else I need to know?

Sorry lads but I'm a complete newbie when it comes to this stuff but the last few cars I have had have gave my trouble. So want to take a big of a leap here.

Mc Love

For the AA/RAC - have a look at their respective websites, there you'll have the option to do a data check as well as the option to purchase full vehicle check. You'd have to get the car owners permission first of course, and the owners that dont have anything to hide will allow you to do the inspection.

Pete123456

Autotrader offer 5 checks for 25 pounds... They're useful. Also, check the revenue website to get a good indication of vrt, not done deal. You just book an appointment for vrt when you get to the country. No big deal. There is money to be saved still by going to the UK but the sterling is a killer

54and56

Hi all,

I work for myself via a Ltd company and I'm thinking of getting a commercial vehicle for getting me to and from jobs. The business I'm in requires me to bring some tools and equipment with me to the location of the customers site and often involves fairly long countrywide type trips.

I'm thinking of bringing in a VW Touareg Commercial. I believe the "R Line" model is the commercial version of the Touareg - see http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/volkswagen/touareg/used-2016-161-volkswagen-touareg-comm-westmeath-fpa-201214454233932180

If that's the case i.e. the company can buy the car, reclaim the VAT and pay the running costs without me having to incur any BIK can anyone give me the jist of what VRT would be payable if I brought in something like this http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/volkswagen/touareg/used-2016-161-volkswagen-touareg-comm-westmeath-fpa-201214454233932180?

Also, would I be able to get the UK seller to sell to me VAT free if I give him my companies VAT number? I know if I quote my VAT number when ordering goods from UK suppliers they will supply on an ex VAT basis and that the same principal should apply to importing a commercial vehicle but I've heard UK dealers commonly refuse to supply on an ex VAT basis as they have had the wool pulled over their eyes by guys going across with makey uppey VAT numbers which can get the dealer in trouble with HM Customs and Excise!!

Cheers.

54and56

Hi all,

I work for myself via a Ltd company and I'm thinking of getting a commercial vehicle for getting me to and from jobs. The business I'm in requires me to bring some tools and equipment with me to the location of the customers site and often involves fairly long countrywide type trips.

I'm thinking of bringing in a VW Touareg Commercial. I believe the "R Line" model is the commercial version of the Touareg - see http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/volkswagen/touareg/used-2016-161-volkswagen-touareg-comm-westmeath-fpa-201214454233932180

If that's the case i.e. the company can buy the car, reclaim the VAT and pay the running costs without me having to incur any BIK can anyone give me the jist of what VRT would be payable if I brought in something like this http://www.motors.co.uk/car-39201548/sp?

Also, would I be able to get the UK seller to sell to me VAT free if I give him my companies VAT number? I know if I quote my VAT number when ordering goods from UK suppliers they will supply on an ex VAT basis and that the same principal should apply to importing a commercial vehicle but I've heard UK dealers commonly refuse to supply on an ex VAT basis as they have had the wool pulled over their eyes by guys going across with makey uppey VAT numbers which can get the dealer in trouble with HM Customs and Excise!!

Cheers.

Lorne Malvo

Hi, I am moving to England soon. I was thinking of buying a car in the North and driving it over. After the sale, will the DVLA post the V5C to my address in the south and, using the new V5C, will I be able to go back and tax it in the North (with a republic address on the V5C) prior to crossing on the ferry, just to keep thing simple when I arrive in Britain.

54and56

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

Hi all,

I work for myself via a Ltd company and I'm thinking of getting a commercial vehicle for getting me to and from jobs. The business I'm in requires me to bring some tools and equipment with me to the location of the customers site and often involves fairly long countrywide type trips.

I'm thinking of bringing in a VW Touareg Commercial. I believe the "R Line" model is the commercial version of the Touareg - see http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/volkswagen/touareg/used-2016-161-volkswagen-touareg-comm-westmeath-fpa-201214454233932180

If that's the case i.e. the company can buy the car, reclaim the VAT and pay the running costs without me having to incur any BIK can anyone give me the jist of what VRT would be payable if I brought in something like this http://www.motors.co.uk/car-39201548/sp?

Also, would I be able to get the UK seller to sell to me VAT free if I give him my companies VAT number? I know if I quote my VAT number when ordering goods from UK suppliers they will supply on an ex VAT basis and that the same principal should apply to importing a commercial vehicle but I've heard UK dealers commonly refuse to supply on an ex VAT basis as they have had the wool pulled over their eyes by guys going across with makey uppey VAT numbers which can get the dealer in trouble with HM Customs and Excise!!

Cheers.

^^^ Wrong thread??